A workout for your imagination. That's how former Cub manager Joe Maddon recently described reading. He said he has workout equipment for his upper body, and a machine for his legs, and books for his brain.
Because I appreciate Joe's take on most things, and since I'm a book lover myself, here are ...
13 facts about reading and readers
1. According to the National Endowment for the Arts, just 38% of Americans are regular book readers.
2. Chicago's own Rush University Medical Center studied more than 5,000 individuals over 14 years and found that the ones who read regularly were at a lower risk of developing Alzheimer's.
3. Cambridge University studied the brain structure of teenagers and learned that the areas of the brain tied to memory and attention were stronger among readers.
4. At Yale, researchers concluded that regular readers live an average of two years longer than non-readers.
5. Reading a book – fiction or non-fiction – is good for memory because you have to remember names, relationships and motivations.
6. The greatest benefits come from books or long articles. Scrolling through social media encourages you to skim, whereas reading requires you to analyze.
7. For a newspaper or magazine article to deliver brain health benefits, it should be long enough to fully engage your imagination and concentration. (Remember, no skimming.)
8. It can teach empathy. Whether it's a 300-page book or a 6,000-word magazine profile, reading introduces you to, and gives you greater understanding of, someone else's life.
9. 30 minutes of reading a day: That's what the Yalies concluded is all we need to begin reaping benefits.
10. Reading reliably reduces stress, similar to the way listening to music, drinking tea or sipping wine can.
11. It's more effective than word-a-day exercises because it helps build vocabulary by presenting words in context when the imagination is engaged.
12. You should also read when you're reading. Meaning don't multi-task. No TV or music in the background. Your brain will thank you.
13. People who read make often do better in business because they can write better emails and make more cogent presentations.
How about you? Are you a regular reader? What are you reading now?
Please join us for THURSDAY THIRTEEN. Click here to play along, and to see other interesting compilations of 13 things.
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